The Permanent Way Depot

[Gordon A]

On 18/10/2019 at 23:54, Jack Benson said:

Marly,

 

As a failed petrolhead, I find early garages and filling stations to be fascinating subjects in their own right. Almost every village that could support a blacksmith found that the local blacksmith would turn his hand to almost any repair whether it was a car, agricultural machinery, motorcycle or even a bicycle. Many early vehicles required constant attention, our Ford Y required a decoke every 500miles together with an oil change. Early franchise dealers were only located in larger county towns and the local 'garage' thrived as a result. Not every owner was a natural mechanic, my father was baffled by the simplest of problems and relied on the local garage.

 

This picture has been published elsewhere but is a tribute to the local garage that 'did everything', I once asked Mr Tilly for a glass oil reservoir for my rigid model 16 AJS and he had a 1939 example wrapped in oilpaper, marked 2/6d, he asked for 50p to cover the storage costs.

 

 

Cheers

 

JB

 

 

 

The Carlight Continental, the unloved caravan behind the garage was I think a product of the 1960's.  https://carlightheritage.co.uk/history/1960s

 

Gordon A

[Guest Jack Benson]

This thread is fast becoming a nostalgia roadtrip, with images of decrepit buildings supporting a lifestyle of 'make and mend' that is in mortal danger. 

 

This was Max Allen's excellent 'fix anything' establishment - long since demolished.

 

 

Whilst the BBC  website has highlighted some rather grand and worthy listed buildings as being at risk, my concern is for the mundane and banal bits of everyday structures that were once part of our lives before gentrification and development destroyed them. Whilst I cannot save a once glorious set of municipal baths, I can record the local bicycle repair shop before it starts selling frappes to millennials. But, worst of all, the high steet vintner, which was selling Madeira during the civil war, is now a handbag emporium for the Home Counties migrants.

 

Do I start a new thread simply entitled 'Rural Decay' if only to provide inspiration?

 

 

JB

Edited October 28, 2019 by Jack Benson
Boredom

[Marly51]

I prefer to use real examples of buildings as reference for scratchbuilding or kitbashing. These old photos have some great details.

 

Marlyn

[Guest Jack Benson]

Accessibility - lots of talk about it but until you become a 'problem' it really isn't a priority.

 

Access to all wheelchair users and our future modellers will be 'the' priority for the layout.

 

It will be displayed at a standard 80cm, with chairs provided for others.

 

Sorry, if this bucks a trend but it is our choice not to discriminate against the disabled.

 

 

JB

[Guest Jack Benson]

Thanks to the gracious help from John of Bridport, we have a ancient Bachmann locoshed for use as the maintenance workshop. The lack of doors isn't a problem but we are still waiting for the resin castings of internal shelving to pitch up.

 

 

 

With a diorama just 1200x600mm, we need to incorporate smaller detail to capture folk's attention without it looking tacky.

 

JB

Edited November 1, 2019 by Jack Benson

[Guest Jack Benson]

A recent conversation has me worried, it seems that taking on two more new layouts may be rather optimistic and that the larger Chandlers Row layout will be beyond my ability to lift and shift.

 

This is not really unexpected, I am aware of my deteriorating condition but I do have some remaining ability which is better suited to the much smaller PW Depot. Where this will progress is uncertain but concentrating on the Depot is a priority.

 

The decision to downsize to a micro-layout was made before last summer's events, a couple of years ago we had attended a local narrow-gauge group event and was impressed by the concept of operating a layout whilst seated. It was a more intimate method of interacting with the viewer, in the tradition of a salon rather than a public exhibition.

 

 

Cheers

 

JB

 

 

Edited January 25, 2020 by Jack Benson
Change of baseboard

[Gordon A]

Interesting lifting gate to allow the train to cross Britannia Rd.

 

Gordon A

[Gordon A]

The picture you posted yesterday shows the gate down, while the post today shows the gate raised.

Pictures show different locos? Dumb buffers and standard industrial buffers.

Also looks like different gates of the same type in different locations.

In the first picture the additional frame for the winding mechanism is on the right, where as in the second picture the additional frame with winding mechanism is on the left.

 

Gordon

[john new]

It looks like there were two routes and a Y or similar point, one through the wooden gate one through the lift jobbie.

Edited November 16, 2019 by john new

[Guest Jack Benson]

The Permanent Way depot scene seems doomed, the original baseboard is too heavy to move unaided but the SMS board for the 'layout in a Christmas tree box ' is about 50% lighter (see below).

 

 

I should have been more careful with choices, this might work out.

 

An MoD Ruston 48DS is on order and will emerge as DS1169

 

Cheers

 

JB

Edited November 30, 2019 by Jack Benson

[AdeMoore]

Shame that you’re having to abort Jack was looking forward to see this come to fruition.

Also finding great inspiration and information for my own offering!

 Cheers for sharing.

Ade

[john new]

7 hours ago, Jack Benson said:

Gordon and John,

 

Two different locos and locations, the blog has a better description. The modern image on the blog is the clue.

 

 

JB

Good to see the pictures. The time I went to Bull Run the diesel was in use and both Corral Queen and Bonnie Prince Charlie on site but out of use. Was given a ride on the diesel though. I also saw the engine that was laid up in a shed at the Gas Works but did not get a photo.

Edited November 18, 2019 by john new

[Guest Jack Benson]

On 18/11/2019 at 22:19, AdeMoore said:

Shame that you’re having to abort Jack was looking forward to see this come to fruition.

Also finding great inspiration and information for my own offering!

 Cheers for sharing.

Ade

 

Adrian,

 

I am merely swapping baseboards to suit the needs of the subjects, the PW Depot will use the board from the SMS 'layout in a box' and Chandlers Row uses a full scenic display from Tim Horn.

 

and

 

I discovered that Metclafe offer a proper Nissen hut which is winging it way to Dorset as I really don't want to use the Quonset hut taken from Child Okeford. 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2019 by Jack Benson

[AdeMoore]

Ah I read to much into your it’s doomed post! Glad was wrong. Hope you’ll continue posting here on progress. The metcalf hut offering looks pretty good, will make it all come together in no time!

 Cheers 

 

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi,

 

Almost at the last shout of 2019, the 48DS and the Chivers Tunny make their debut on the layout.

 

The first outing is Railex Taunton, which is ironic as it was where exhibiting was supposed to have ended in 2018. But lessons were learnt, the 'new' layout is a micro and designed for operating whilst seated for the benefit of public and operator alike. Looking forward to the event.

 

Cheers

 

[sb67]

Very nice picture Jack. 

[Guest Jack Benson]

This is my solution to droopy NEM coupling boxes on Heljan models for the diorama - I open up the gap between the NEM box and the chassis before painting the space with waterproof PVA glue. Then place the wagon upside down with the couplings carefully centered and wait 24hrs.

 

The coupling cannot pivot but that is OK for all but the tightest of toy-train curves and solves the droopy coupling problem.

 

 

JB

[Oncomin5torm]

17 hours ago, Jack Benson said:

This is my solution to droopy NEM coupling boxes on Heljan models for the diorama - I open up the gap between the NEM box and the chassis before painting the space with waterproof PVA glue. Then place the wagon upside down with the couplings carefully centered and wait 24hrs.

 

The coupling cannot pivot but that is OK for all but the tightest of toy-train curves and solves the droopy coupling problem.

 

 

JB

I had a similar problem with my Heljan dogfish, I actually replaced the couplings entirely, I did a video on it.

Just another option but yours worked well also

[Guest Jack Benson]

1 hour ago, Oncomin5torm said:

I had a similar problem with my Heljan dogfish, I actually replaced the couplings entirely, I did a video on it.

Just another option but yours worked well also

 

 

Hi,

 

Thanks, I am merely mean when confronted with spending.

 

JB

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi,

 

Not much progress on the depot in the past month due to the need to complete Child Okeford in time for the photographer in few weeks.

 

However, there is progress of sorts, the board and track is waiting to become a working entity which will be followed by the scenery and final testing. There is still testing of a reliable invisible uncoupler arrangement for the Kadees, this link, seems to work for some but I prefer micro-neodymium magnets inserted into the roadbed after tracklaying.- see below

 

 

Cheers

[Guest Jack Benson]

It has become obvious that lifting and shifting anything larger than 12kg is impossible, unfortunately this means that the lovely Tim Horn display module will remain assembled but unused. Thankfully, the SMS 'Christmas Tree ' box layout (weight 7,5kgs) is still sitting in the shed, now it is home to an Inglenook.

 

 

 A rather predictable outcome considering the available space of just 110x22cm however the Permanent Way depot on Child Okeford is essentially the same. Wiring up should be completed by Friday, it needs as the layout must be completed by October for Railex in Taunton. 
 

The layout is to be offered to my son as a working project, whilst progress needs to be made on the larger Chandlers Row project. 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Jack Benson